1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a corrugated cardboard sheet feeder configured to stack a plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets in a hopper, and to push out a lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet among the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets by a kicker to the side of a lower end opening in a front gate disposed on the downstream side of a sheet transferring direction in the hopper, and to feed and transfer the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet which has passed through the lower end opening, one by one, to another device (for example, a printer) disposed on the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction.
2. Related Art
In general, a thick corrugated cardboard sheet is frequently used as a container material used as an outer package of a product, and a product name, a product model number, a manufacturer's name and so forth are often printed on a corrugated cardboard sheet before producing a packing box using the corrugated cardboard sheet. In the above-mentioned situation, there is applied a corrugated cardboard sheet feeder adapted to stack the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets in the hopper almost horizontally and to feed and transfer the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet among the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets, one by one, to the printer disposed on the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction.
The corrugated cardboard sheet feeder of the above-mentioned type is available in various structural forms and, for example, many feed-out rollers, endless belts, kickers and so forth are used as a sheet feed-out unit when transferring the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet, one by one, in the sheet transferring direction. Here, an example using the kicker will be described.
Here, as one example of the corrugated cardboard sheet feeder using the kicker, there is disclosed a sheet feeder used in a corrugated cardboard sheet carton former (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
Although illustration is omitted here, in the sheet feeder (corresponding to a corrugated cardboard sheet feeder) in the corrugated cardboard sheet carton former disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a hopper adapted to store the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets is disposed on a mounting table.
In addition, the above-mentioned hopper includes a front gate disposed on the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction in which the corrugated cardboard sheet is to be transferred, and a back guide disposed on the upstream side of the sheet transferring direction opposite to the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction so as to face the front gate leaving a space between the front gate and the back guide.
Then, the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets are stacked on the mounting table almost horizontally between the front gate and the back guide.
In the above-mentioned case, a lower end opening adapted to allow passage of only one sheet, that is, the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet among the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets stacked in the hopper is formed in a lower end of the front gate.
In addition, a belt kicker mechanism with a feed claw part is disposed to be rotatable under the mounting table so as to transfer only the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet among the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets stacked on the mounting table by the feed claw part of the belt kicker mechanism integrally with the mounting table toward the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction.
In addition, a sheet pressing mechanism is disposed on an inner upper part of the front gate in order to make such an improvement that a warp of a front end of the corrugated cardboard sheet located on the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction is temporarily straightened by the sheet pressing mechanism to facilitate passage of the front end of the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet through the front gate.
Further, a grate is disposed on an inner lower part of the back guide so as to be movable upward and downward, and the grate is configured to cause rear end sides of one or more corrugated cardboard sheets located on the upper layer side of the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet to move upward and downward.
Then, in the sheet feeder so configured as mentioned-above, in general, the total weight of the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets stacked on the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet is loaded on the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet. However, one or more of the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets located on the upper layer side of the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet are separated from the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet while gradually inclining upward from the front gate side toward the back guide side by lifting up the rear end parts of the one or more corrugated cardboard sheets located on the upper layer side of the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet by the grate, in the middle of transferring the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet toward the downstream side of the sheet transferring direction by the feed claw part of the belt kicker mechanism. Then, it is possible to reduce frictional resistance and rubbing which would occur between the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet and the second lowest corrugated cardboard sheet from bottom located on the lowermost-layer corrugated cardboard sheet.
The grate is lowered to a position under the mounting table when the feed claw part of the belt kicker mechanism has been moved to a downstream end of the mounting table.